Bridal Couple (Between 1883 and 1886)

This photograph has a connection to one of Australia's lost department stores!

Inscribed on the back is the name and address of the studio where the photograph was taken:

 GEORGE & GEORGE'S

FEDERAL STUDIO

11, 13, 15 & 17 Collins St East

MELBOURNE

George and George's Federal Emporium was located at this address between 1883 and 1888.  The photographic studio was one of the services they offered, along with products such as "Dress goods, Manchester goods, soft goods, &c, &c".  George & George's Federal Emporium became simply "George's" sometime after the turn of the century, and it remained Melbourne's most fashionable high-end department store until it closed in 1995.

The back of the photograph also gives us the name of the photographer:

F.E. ELLIOTT

PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTIST

F.E. Elliott was Florence Elliott, a photographer who worked at the Federal Studio between 1883 and 1886.

I don't know if the bridal couple are wearing anything bought at George's (the lace? the veil? gloves? the outsize bouquet?) but it would be nice to think that they did!

"Wedded Perfection" by Cynthia Amneus

 Some of the best fashion histories are published as exhibition catalogues.  Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns was produced for an exhibition held at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2010.

The interesting thing is, that though the title of this exhibition specifically references “gowns”, traditional white wedding gowns are far from being the only garments included here.   In fact, anything women wore at their weddings is featured in this book, including day dresses, evening dresses and suits!

100 Years Ago (The Delineator, April 1922)

 From the April 1922 issue of The Delineator: wedding dresses for spring brides!  As far as designs and skirt lengths go, these garments closely resemble contemporary formal wear.  There are typical 1922 touches: the (newly lowered) dropped waistline, the use of side panels and asymmetrical drapery, and beaded girdles.  The main things to mark these dresses out as bridal were are the trailing veils worn by the models, and the fact that they are made up in white materials.

Working our way clockwise: At the left (pattern 3584) we have a dress with fabric trimming on the loose panels and sleeves.  Recommended materials are silk crȇpes, crȇpe de Chine, crȇpe meteor or crȇpe satin.

Top centre (pattern 3526) is a dress embroidered in a sunburst design with crystal beads.  The dress itself was a fairly straightforward design which slipped over the head and fastened under the left arm.  Once again various crȇpes were recommended for making it up.

Top right (pattern 3467) has a lace underbodice, and an optional train for the most formal weddings.  Various kinds of heavy crȇpe are suggested for making the dress.

Bottom right (pattern 3622).  The Delineator suggests making this one up in moire, chiffon and charmeuse as well as different kinds of crȇpe.  It can be made all of one material or with contrasting sleeves. Tulle lace is recommended for the "diaphanous veil".

 

(Images from the Internet Archive.)

"Wedding Day" by Sara van Gelder (September 6 1972)

 In Australia, September is the month brides start planning their spring weddings.  This was as true in 1972 as it is now—as this little pamphlet issued by The Australian Women's Weekly illustrates.

This is from a spread titled "Evening Wedding Fashions".  The bridesmaid is in a hooded georgette gown, $40 from Katies.  The bride is in a crepe gown, $118, also from Katies.  The groom, standing well in the background as grooms do in these fashion shoots, is wearing white tie and tails, and very seventies hair.

 For "guests and mothers" from left to right: a crepe dress for $30, a chiffon dress, $44 and another chiffon dress, $40.  "All in many colours."  I suspect that the model on the right represents one of the "mothers".

Interestingly, though they are posed outside a church, none of the models are wearing hats!  This would not have been the case a decade earlier.

Crimes in Crochet III (Stitchcraft, June 1970)

 I wasn't going to do a third post in this series, until I went through my collection and (re)discovered this:

I'm aware that bridal costumes weren't always as expensive as they are today.  Nonetheless, I'm taken aback at the idea that in 1970 someone thought it was a good idea to crochet your own wedding dress!  There are even matching crochet patterns for dresses for your flower girls.

The original owner of this copy of Stitchcraft wrote some notes on the cover.  Following the clues I investigated inside and found the following photo:

It seems that someone intended to make herself a "Tyrolean waistcoat" in crochet squares.   To be honest, I'm puzzled finding anything particularly Tyrolean about it!

Wedding Fashions from the 1930s

Weddings have always been an excuse for dressing up, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that it became customary for brides to wear white.   It wasn't until the 1930s that the custom of wearing floor or evening length dresses for formal weddings became established—before then bridal gowns were hemmed at whatever length was fashionable for day wear at the time.

Weldon's Ladies' Journal, December 1930

Delineator, June 1933

McCall's, June 1935

Weldon's Ladies' Journal, June 1936

Pictorial Review Fashion Book, 1936

Wakes, Summer 1939-1940

Australian Home Journal, June 1939

Vanity Fair, February 1953

There's a Royal wedding happening today!  So it's only appropriate that I post a picture of a wedding dress.  The description reads: 

From Paris, wedding separates by Jacques Heim.  Surprise: the train is attatched to the spencer, not the strapless dress.  Lipstick: Charles of the Ritz new Bright Pink.